Women: their strengths and weaknesses.
Women have always caused controversy; either because they are considered inferior by most men or either because in our culture they are suppose to be submissive. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, women play different roles and as the book goes on we see different versions of women. Two lines that I chose to compare the different aspects of women described by the narrator in the Epic of Gilgamesh are: the weakness of women without power against the king "His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the noble; yet this is the shepherd of the city, wise, comely, and resolute."(p.62) and the power of Goddess women like Ishtar against Gilgamesh; now Ishtar speaks to her father "My father give me the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh. Fill Gilgamesh, I say, with arrogance to his destruction; but if you refuse to give me the Bull of Heaven I will break in the doors of hell and smash the bolts; there will be confusion of people, those above with those from the lower depths."(p.87). In this essay, I will compare the different aspects of women, using the lines on page 62 and 87 in the Epic of Gilgamesh and how that cultures values affect or benefit women.
The first quote on page 62 shows how the king, Gilgamesh, uses women as objects. Abusing his power, he takes their virginity and then he leaves them. Knowing that it is okay in their culture to do such thing, he takes advantage of his position. By this quote, we see how the author is not only criticizing the society but also the behavior of the king. The type of king that abuses his power for his benefit is not a good king; but even though he is not, everyone will have to obey him. This affects their women in the sense that they have no other choice but to follow orders, since they were raised with those values. .
On the other hand, women with power which are the Goddess; they are able to do anything to get what they want.
